Page 123 of The Court of Secrets

“We can bury the Objects in there.” I pointed at the uneven path between the tall trees. “We will go as deep as we can, then separate.”

“It’s a good idea, love. They’re dangerous in the wrong hands, and getting rid of them is the right thing to do.” He paused, looking at me with a softness to his eyes I wasn’t used to. “But couldn’t someone use a locator spell to find them?”

I’d been waiting for that question. I pulled a few runes from my pocket, ones Morgana had used to cloak me. “They’re already hidden from anyone with foresight. As for those who can use magic…” I rubbed the gray, smooth stones together, a similar symbol on each one. “These will hide them. Morgana spelled them to cloak anyone with one from being located by magic. If we bury one with each object, they’ll be cloaked.”

“It’s a great plan, love.”

“Thanks.” I pushed the runes back into my pocket. “The mer king won’t be happy he’s not getting the crown back, but he’ll have to live with it.” The idea of a temperamental mercreature with the ability to compel anyone was quite terrifying. “He won’t be as mad without the curse, so I’m hoping he’ll be manageable. Perhaps he’ll be so grateful we broke the curse over him, he won’t react to the news the crown’s gone.”

His eyes widened. “Was that optimism… from you?” He feigned shock, and I rolled my eyes. “Maybe this is a new chapter after all.”

***

It was late morning when I woke in Blaise’s arms. We’d buried the Amulet, Ring, and Crown each with a rune and arrived back at the castle at dusk.

Mercreature attacks had already lessened yesterday. Our fishing boats hadn’t seen one all day or some of the night, according to Adius. I was sure it wouldn’t last. The mer were predators. They were known to eat a sailor who’d fallen overboard or take someone who’d swum too far out in the ocean, but they’d become far more vicious in the last ten years, taking down ships and even going aboard to grab men, making being a sailor almost impossible. We had later learned the mer took on characteristics of their king or queen, and with Aqugar cursed, they inadvertently also were. Now that it had been broken, it was nice to know the rage-induced attacks would lessen greatly.

I propped my head on my hand, pushing my elbow into the fluffy pillow. He looked so peaceful now, even happy. I was certain if I told him it was possible for him to be so a couple of years ago, he’d have never believed it.

I moved slowly, careful not to wake him, and climbed out of bed. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I looked at the window. Spring had come early this year, bringing with it fields of corn and daffodils of yellow sprouting from every flower bed in the kingdom. We needed it. While we held a fractured magic system, people were trying something new. Some turned to elemental magic. With Berovia and Magaelor at peace, many solises had come to see the wonders and soul of Magaelor.

Aquarius was offered to be the head of the Magaelorean Navy but expectedly refused. Instead, he took up sailing the new trade routes between Magaelor and Berovia, making a lot of coin while doing it. The kingdom’s economy had boomed with the trade deal, giving a win to my people who had suffered so much.

I opened the door and requested for coffee to be brought to my chambers, then hurried to my dresser. The broken pieces of Morgana’s staff remained perched against the stone wall. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. Sadness pinched my day, as it often did when I thought about her being gone. Slowly, I was learning to live with their losses, but I always grieved them.

A maid walked in with a tray of coffee. I hushed her, and she placed it on the dresser, then gave me a small smile before leaving. The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans lifted my spirits. I poured the dark liquid into one of the two china cups and sipped. “Ah.”

I glanced at Blaise’s clothes, strewn over my dresser. There was a bulge under the thin fabric of his pocket, and something poking out. I hurried to it and pulled out a little box. Curiosity begged me to open it. Arching an eyebrow, I clicked it open.

My heart skipped a beat. A gold ring encrusted with a large sapphire glistened at me. Inside the ring were words engraved. I squinted, evaluating them carefully.

For the best half of me.

It was a wedding ring. Was that why he’d sent the tiara all those months ago? Had he known even then where we would end up?

He snored, shifting himself onto his side. My eyes widened.

Inhaling sharply, I replaced the ring inside the box and pushed it back into his pocket. I hurried to the armchair and table, closing my eyes. Fireworks erupted inside me as I thought about being Blaise’s wife. I loved him with all my heart, and the idea of spending a lifetime with a king at my side wasn’t as scary as it used to be—not when the king was him. Together, we could unite our kingdoms, and Magaelor was in need of healing and reuniting.

I was strong on my own and would always put Magaelor first, and now with Blaise at my side, we could achieve something great. Two kingdoms as one.

After I finally stopped smiling to myself, I glanced at the window again, reminding myself of today’s schedule. Today I would be going to visit the people of a town outside of Imperia. While they had struggled to learn to live without ancestral magic, I offered them alternatives. Word had spread about being able to use spirit. Many tried but gave up when it didn’t offer quick results, like ancestral magic had. However, communities who did prefer it erupted all throughout Magaelor. It would take time, but I knew the kingdom would come together and find its own magic systems. Gone were the days of my father’s rule. Even Lord Abor had gotten on board with most of my decisions—not all, but he was good at protecting the Crown’s treasury and he pointed out certain things, pushing me to make the difficult decisions I needed to.

Gregoir and Louis were imprisoned in Ironwall tower for their part in trying to dethrone me. Gregoir was given a lesser sentence, but Louis would remain there for the rest of his miserable life. I couldn’t lock Penelope away for slipping a secret, but because of her, everything had almost been ruined. She was sent home, with her title taken away.

Mai remained my lady-in-waiting along with Nissa, who had finally agreed to go back with Corbin. He had promised the days of playing games were over. I would wait to see how long it would last. Florence remained at court. She spent the first month after Adius’s death resenting me, but she was coming around.

I readied myself for the trip out of Imperia. In the ashes of chaos, death, and pain, opportunity rose, giving Magaelor the chance to become a diverse, strong place where Mangaloreans weren’t divided. Trade routes were opened, and the threats of war from Berovia were over. While fractured, most of the people had banded together.

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t whole. But Magaelor was ours, and it was worth fighting for.