Winter Queen: A reverse harem novel (Daughter of Winter Book 3)

by Skye MacKinnon

  He grimaces at my mention of the healer. Seems I'm not the only one finding him annoying.

  "Aye, I'll come up with an excuse."

  I take his hand and give it a squeeze, both as a thank you to him and reassurance for me.

  My mother's room is dimly lit by a few of the glowing magic orbs that are used instead of lightbulbs in the Palace. The curtains are drawn closed, shutting out the cold midday sun.

  I send a little magic to the closest orb until it starts to glow brighter.

  Beira is lying in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Her skin is pale though, and her breath is clearly audible in the quiet room. There is no sign of Theodore; he must have left shortly before I arrived. Maybe he's gone to tell Crispin to take over again. As much as I want to speak to my healer Guardian, I'd prefer if he didn't come just now. I need some time alone with my mother.

  "Mum?" I ask quietly, and her eyes flutter open immediately.

  "Wyn. Come closer," she says in a raspy whisper. There's a glass of water on the small bedside drawer and I take it with me as I approach her. I help her sit up a little so she can drink. It's scary how easy it is for me to lift her. She's so light, so frail. How did my mother change from an almighty Goddess into this sickly woman?

  Oh yes, it's all my fault. I'd tried to forget that fact.

  "Thank you." Her voice is a lot smoother now that she's had some water. She leans back against the pillow I fluffed up for her and looks at me with an echo of her usual piercing eyes.

  "How was the meeting?"

  I sigh a little. "Bleak. Ada has run away, Storm has taken her place, Algonquin thinks that the Northern Gate may have been used by the Morrigan's messenger, and the Southern Gate has been attacked repeatedly. For now, it seems all we can do is wait for our scouts and spies to bring us more information."

  "You sound as if you've already got a good understanding of the situation. I'd hoped to spare you from taking over more duties for a while, but it wasn't to be."

  She coughs and I hand her the glass of water again.

  "There's something Tamara said," I begin, watching her drink in small sips. "She was wondering whether I can do the same teleportation magic you do, to transport our soldiers to where they're needed."

  My mother frowns, thinking for a moment before she answers. "It's not like normal magic. It's more like wings, something we're born with and while it needs a bit of practice, we instinctively know how to do. You've never accidentally teleported somewhere, have you?"

  I shake my head.

  "Then it's unlikely that you possess that skill. It's something only Gods can do, I'm sorry." She smiles at my disappointed look. "But you have some other magic we should talk about. Was that the first time you used lightning?"

  "Yes. It just came out of nowhere, I've never felt anything like it before. It was very... overwhelming. Violent. Hard to control."

  "I could see that," she says drily and I cringe when I think of what my magic cost her. "Don't feel bad. Nobody knew that you were going to be in danger of having another flare, myself included, or I would have done something about it. What's happening to me is natural. Spring is coming, Winter is disappearing. It's why Angus has been waiting until now to make his big moves. Luckily, we have you."

  "I'm not much use, I still can't even control my magic. How am I supposed to make other people do what I say if they know how unpredictable I am? None of the people who were in the collapsed Palace wing will ever trust me again - I almost killed them! If you hadn't been there, they'd all be buried beneath tons of stone."

  I fight against the urge to punch something. The wall, or maybe myself. I'd punch my magic if she wasn't holed up in her cave, purring innocently. I'm going to need to have a serious talk with her. She doesn't care at all about what's happening to the real world as the effect of her power tantrums.

  "They don't know it was you," my mother whispers, her voice slowly getting weaker again. "And even so, you're my daughter. They will accept you. Now, go to the library and seek out Algonquin. Have him give you anything he has about lightning magic. But before, tell Tamara to contact Thor. I think he may be the perfect teacher for you.”

  Thor doesn't quite look like he does in the films, but that's not a bad thing. Not at all. If I didn't already have my four Guardians... well, let's just say I have a hard time not drooling. That may be due to the lack of his shirt. Yes, he's showing off his bare chest, wearing nothing but loose leather trousers and black boots. And his hammer, of course, in a sheath around his waist. Tiny lightning bolts are sizzling around it, looking very much like the magic I produced yesterday.

  "So, you're Beira's little spawn?" he asks me in a deep voice as I approach him in my mother's vestibule. Other nobles and a few minor Gods are standing on both sides of the room, watching us curiously. I'm sure everybody in the Palace is about to know that Thor called me a 'spawn'.

  "Her daughter, actually. And you, are you one of her creations?" I shoot back and watch gleefully as he raises his bushy eyebrows in surprise.

  "I am, actually. Does that make us siblings?" He howls in laughter at the disgusted expression I'm sure my face is showing.

  "No. Cousins, maybe? Twice-removed, at least?" I add that so I don't feel bad about ogling his stunning physique. I don't want to look at my brother/cousin/whatever that way. The whole concept of my mother creating other Gods is still a bit too much to grasp. She also made my father, so maybe Thor is my uncle? Urgh, Wyn, stop that train of thought. There's no genetic similarity between me and Thor.

  "I like you, Godspawn. Well met."

  He stretches out a hand and I take it, squeezing hard to show that I'm not intimidated by him - even though his hand is almost twice as large as mine.

  "Nice to meet you." I was tempted to reply with 'well met' as well, but that was a bit too medieval for me. He's allowed to speak like someone from a film, but not me. I'm your standard down-to-earth Demigoddess.

  I notice how the room has become very quiet. All eyes are on us. I feel a little uncomfortable, very aware of the scarf I have wrapped around my head. They must all be wondering why I’m wearing it.

  "Let's go somewhere a little more private," I suggest and he grins at me.

  "Are you propositioning me?"

  "I certainly am not. I just don't want the ladies of the Court to faint." I nod towards one female Guardian to my right, who's obviously overwhelmed by staring at Thor's muscled body. She's fanning herself and blushes when she notices us looking at her.

  "You're right. My wife wouldn't be happy about that."

  That makes me stop in my tracks. "You're married?!"

  Oh, poor women of this world. Yet another good-looking man who's no longer available.

  "Of course, didn't you know that? Sif likes to stay at home though, making sure our daughter doesn't get into too much trouble."

  "Wait, you have a daughter?"

  "Didn't they teach you anything?" he grumbles as if offended by my ignorance.

  "But I was told that Gods can't have children... it's not allowed."

  "Which is why we adopted Pippa. She was born on Earth but grew up in my Realm. I've been trying to make her go and explore Earth so she can see where she came from, but so far, she's refused. Maybe I should get her to talk to you. You can have a bit of girl talk."

  A bit of... Who does he think I am?!

  I'm a little bit busy fighting a war at the moment, I don't have time to tell a girl to spread her wings and leave her parents' nest. Although I suppose that if she's human, she doesn't have wings. Look at me, already used to the idea of everybody in the Realms having wings. I'm adapting quickly... kind of.

  I decide not to say anything and simply motion him to follow me out of the vestibule and through several corridors until we've reached one of the training courtyards. Storm's reserved this one for me, so we should be undisturbed here.

  I try and ignore all the stares people are giving us on our way there, and sigh in relief when the doors close behind us and we
step into the fresh, cool air outside.

  Thor unbuckles his belt and I'm about to protest, thinking he's got some kind of exhibitionism planned, when I see that he's simply removing the sheath his hammer is in. He puts it on the ground and stretches his legs.

  "It gets a bit heavy, sometimes," he admits. "But people want to see the hammer so I'll have to take it wherever I go."

  No, I did not expect him to say that. Maybe some comment about how big his hammer is, how hard, that kind of thing. Instead, he sounds almost annoyed at how people are worshipping him.

  "Do you need the hammer to do magic?" I ask, genuinely interested.

  "No, although it helps direct the energy more efficiently. Lightning is a volatile force, and it's easier to control if there's a conductor. I could use a rod or something like that, but Beira decided to give me a hammer so now I'm stuck with that."

  "My mum gave you that hammer?"

  "Do you ask a lot of questions?" he retorts and I give him a disapproving frown - which he doesn't care about in the least.

  "As much as I would like to answer all your questions, my wife expects me to be back for dinner, so let's start with your training. I'm told you can summon lightning - mind giving me a demonstration?"

  I shrug. "Sure, but last time, I levelled an entire part of the Palace, so you may want to step back."

  His eyes widen slightly before he smooths his expression into something between boredom and curiosity. What a strange man... God. Are all of the major Gods this intense? This arrogant?

  Luckily, he follows my advice and retreats to one side of the courtyard while I take up position in the centre. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing; after all, last time I created lightning was a complete accident. I remember it started with little sparks around my hands. Maybe if I can reproduce those, I can summon proper lightning after.

  I concentrate on my magic, coaxing her out of her cave. She stretches and yawns, but then jumps towards me, happy to be let free. I tell her that I need lightning, but she just rubs against my legs and purrs. Thanks, that's not very helpful.

  With the other elements, I can usually draw from them in the environment. Water and air are the easiest, fire the hardest. But lightning... where am I supposed to get that from?

  I look up at the sky. Not a cloud in sight, and especially no storm clouds.

  I sigh. "I don't know how to begin," I admit.

  Thor smirks. "Lightning for beginners, I get it. First of all, what is lightning?"

  "Ehm... big lightning bolts coming down from the sky during thunderstorms?" Even I know how silly that sounds. "Electricity?" I add, hoping that one will be less stupid.

  Thor shakes his head in frustration. "What do they teach you on Earth? Lightning is an electrostatic discharge. Imagine two electrically charged objects, like balloons you've rubbed against a woollen tunic. If you make them touch each other, electricity will flow between them for just a moment. When it's just a small electric charge, sparks will fly. If it's larger, much larger, you get lightning."

  So far, I'm following, even though physics was never my strongest subject. "But where do I get electrically charged objects from? Do I need to bring balloons onto the battlefield?"

  I chuckle at my own joke and even Thor can't hide a grin.

  "No, Godspawn, all you need can be found around you."

  I have a lightbulb moment. "You mean protons and electrons and that kind of stuff?"

  He sighs indulgently. "Yes, that kind of stuff. But if it helps you, just imagine the air around you sizzle with energy. Imagine how there are millions of particles, ready to be pushed together to produce lightning. When you picture it correctly in your mind, the magic will follow."

  Okay then. That shouldn't be too hard. I focus again and imagine everything around me sparkling with energy. It's not the first time that I'm glad I have such an active imagination. Years of cultivating my imaginary friends is now paying off.

  When I have the air saturated with sparks of electricity, I draw some magic into me and spread it through the space in front of me, until it touches the sparks.

  With a deep breath, I pull on the magic, forcing the sparks to touch each other.

  A lightning bolt rams into the ground in front of me, barely missing my feet. I jump back in surprise, but stumble and manage to fall flat on my arse. Ouch. Has the ground always been that hard? This is going to leave a bruise. Maybe I can get Crispin - no, I can't.

  Thor is laughing wildly and I scramble to my feet, glaring at him.

  "Was your first attempt that much better?" I ask him, barely hiding a growl.

  "Of course it was. I'm the God of Thunder, making lightning bolts is what I do."

  He's got a point. At least I know that I have other magic he doesn't have. My mother explained to me that the major Gods all have one or two main powers, and the minor Gods only one. Usually, they all have basic capabilities in other elemental magic, but I'd definitely outrank them in having several major powers. Probably not as strong as theirs, but at least I have strength in numbers.

  "Try again," Thor tells me and steps back again, this time a little further than before. Is he worried I might accidentally hit him?

  He's probably right. Just now, I'd unsuccessfully aimed for the lightning bolt to hit the other end of the courtyard. Certainly not in front of my feet. I'm not suicidal.

  I focus again, doing the same thing as before, but this time, I create the area of charged air further above me, and then push it away from me before releasing my magic.

  A blinding flash of light crashes down, making me blink several times. And then blink again, just in case I didn't see correctly. The lightning bolt hasn't disappeared as it should have. Instead, it's hovering just above the ground, writhing and fighting against whatever is preventing it from disintegrating.

  "Thor?" I call. "Are you doing this?"

  "What do you mean?" He approaches me from behind but I'm too worried to turn away from the lightning.

  "The frozen lightning bolt?" I ask him incredulously. "What else would I be talking about?!"

  "Oh that. Yes, that's me. I wanted to show you what your magic can do in detail."

  He says it as if this is nothing special. As if he didn't just freeze a fricking lightning bolt in time. Now that I know he's the cause of it, I feel a little less threatened. Hopefully, he'll stop it from exploding into my face.

  I reach out with my magic, exploring what's actually happening.

  "Close your eyes," Thor encourages me. "See it with your inner vision."

  I think I prefer the Thor from the legends after all. This one is suddenly turning a little too weird.

  But I do as he says - he is a God after all - and focus on the lightning bolt in front of me. It's harder to see magic with my mind that isn't my own. There are traces of my own still around, but they're scattered and hard to make sense of. It takes me a good while until I manage to find Thor's magic. It's very different from my own, much thicker and more solid. Mine is fluid and flexible, while his is rigid and not as easily changed. Maybe it's because his only has one purpose, while mine has to adapt to multiple elements.

  It's as if a light is slowly turned on, exposing more and more of the big picture. The lightning bolt is surrounded by Thor's magic, held in place by a web of tiny magic tendrils that are growing into something that look like roots.

  I step closer, examining one of the closest bits of the lightning. The magic is pulsating, with energy flowing out of the lightning and into Thor.

  "Are you draining its energy?" I ask him in surprise.

  "Look again," he replies simply.

  Why can't he just tell me the answer? But then I remember, I used to do the same to the students back at university. People always remember knowledge they had to work out for themselves a lot better than content they were given to simply read.

  This time, I focus on the connection Thor has built with the lightning bolt. There's the energy flowing towards him that I've already seen... and then.
.. yes, there's energy flowing back from Thor into the lightning!

  "You're keeping it in a stasis?" I ask. "You're not letting it deplete its energy?"

  “Exactly. I can only keep it in that state for so long, so you may want to step back.”

  I jump away just in time for the lightning bolt to expand slightly and then ram into the ground, disappearing for good.

  “A little more warning, next time?” I shout at Thor, running a hand over my eyebrows. They feel singed. I’ve already lost half of my hair, I’m in no rush to lose my eyebrows as well. Especially not now that they’re perfectly curved. Somehow, I know that I’ll never have to thread them again – those Goddess genes do come in handy.

  Thor shrugs. “You got away in time. Do another one, bigger, this time.”

  I nod and watch as he retreats to the edge of a courtyard. I’m going to show him. He’s the God of Thunder? Well, I’m the Demigoddess of Lightning. Kind of. Not really. But who cares.

  I weave thick strands of magic through the air in front of Thor. I’m not even bothering to do it near me first and then pushing it towards him. He wants me to practice, so here I am, trying out new methods.

  “I can see what you’re doing!” he shouts and I cringe. Of course he does.

  How can I surprise him if he can see my magic? Mmhm, there must be a way.

  With a smile, I start gathering some magic behind him while still increasing the magic in front of him. Hopefully, he’ll focus on that and miss what I’m doing behind him.

  “You’re wasting your time!” he calls. “Not seeing with your eyes, remember? I can feel what you’re doing!”

  Damn it. I should have thought of that myself.

  But… he never said I’d have to do this on my own, right?

  I send a mental nudge to Frost. I know he’s nearby, I can feel him. Hopefully, I’m not distracting him from something important.

  Our mental link is still mainly a way of nudging and pulling. The guys told me once that I would be able to talk to them, but that’s not really how it works. I can send images through it, but they don’t always reach their recipient. It’s a bit of an unclear science. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Luckily, the nudging always works.