One of the merchants in town for the Festival of Blessings gathered a crowd today in the market. He spoke about an orb with the ability to hold a water wielder’s magic inside of it until the user required it.
The idea is fascinating that magic can be stored.
Mother mentioned that a sorceress created something similar for Jasper in order to trap Thames. She used the same concept to put her magic into her dagger.
I still can’t believe what the sorceress went through. If the words weren’t written and recorded here, I would never have known of her bravery or of the sacrifice she made for our kingdom. I don’t know if I will be able to make choices so selfless.
Right now, things are in order. Though there have been one or two reports of Fae going mad with an infection, it’s been handled easily. Brookmere is thriving. We recently expanded to a new city, Broham, out on the coast.
But with the words of my mother’s prophecy—that Thames could only be contained until a stronger power came along to defeat him—I know this bliss and safety will not remain.
The merchant’s idea sparked one of my own. A Fae with unique magic to banish darkness must be coming. She will be strong, no doubt, but what if we could help her? What if she not only fights with her power, and my mother’s, but with the power of generations to come?
I plan to seek out the merchant tomorrow during the festival. My mother gave everything to Brookmere, and to Atheria, as we were once called. If I can find a way to contribute, I will do it too.
I ran my fingers over the ink marking the page. So many women in this line had worked together to lead us to this moment. Flipping the page, I smiled at Daniella’s obvious tenacity. Sure enough another entry referenced the day after the festival.
From the hand of Queen Daniella:
Fates above, I’ve got it. The merchant—quite handsome a Fae, actually—wants to visit me again, but that’s beside the matter at hand. The merchant said he merely poured his power into an object of his choosing. He told me to think of it as if I was channeling healing power toward a wound.
The object would be the conduit, maintaining the power within it until I wanted to use it. He called the water out of the orb he had and then showed me how he put it back in. It’s truly a remarkable feat.
When I returned to my chambers, I noticed my mother’s dagger on the nightstand where I always left it. I may not have a sorceress to guide me, but the way the merchant explained it to me should work. Wouldn’t her own dagger make awonderful conduit for each generation to store some power for the one who will defeat evil for good?
I’m going to try it.
I continued reading as the time ticked by. Hours passed into the night while Storm worked diligently. Kade flipped through a book he’d pulled from my nightstand. Every few minutes he’d stroke a tendril of shadows down my arm or touch my face gently, like he was reminding himself I was still here, but he didn’t interrupt my reading.
A few entries later.
From the hand of Queen Daniella:
It worked. My heart is still pounding in my chest at what I’ve accomplished. I channeled some of my air magic into the dagger, and a faint glow surrounded it, warming in my hand. The merchant’s orb had a faint blue light to it. This, though, was beautiful. A bright white light. The dagger flared almost as if it remembered something. Perhaps my mother’s magic. Either way, I will do this whenever I can, infusing it with my magic. I’ll capture the details here for the next heir to continue the tradition.
The one to save us will have power given to her freely for the good of all our people.
The words weren’t new to us, but it confirmed everything. The next page gave a detailed account of where she held onto the blade, where she channeled her magic into it, what it looked like, and how long she did it.
I lifted my head to Kade. “Can you grab my dagger?”
He stood, grabbing it from the table before returning. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
I ran my hand over the blade, my light magic causing it to glow like it always did. “Can I try to cut the darkness out of you again?”
His face sobered and he nodded once. “Of course. Found anything useful in the journal?”
“Nothing more than an understanding of the power held within the blade. I’d like to try to push my magic into where the journal says the others stored theirs. Maybe it would be more powerful.”
“I’m at your disposal.” He bowed his head.
“Hold on, I’m almost done. For fuck’s sake,” Storm grumbled under his breath. “Give me a minute and you can go about stabbing him all you like.”
Laughing, we let Storm finish.
When the sharp tools stopped prodding me, Storm leaned back in his chair. “Take a look.”
He swallowed, almost nervously, straightening slightly as I rose. His eyes remained trained on the design on my back instead of on me.
