She glanced away.
“Mates are destined, Thyra. The stars deemed you two an excellent match. While I understood your rejection when you didn’t trust any of us, I can’t any longer.” I shrugged. “So yes, no one can understand why you’re still spurning something that others dream of.”
“As if I don’t know that.” Thyra’s attention snapped back to me. “Also, when were you going to mention that you wished to free the slaves?”
We hadn’t had a moment alone since our meeting with Lord Balik, and perhaps I should have anticipated the question, but it still took me off guard.
“I’m not sure. They’re often on my mind.” I paused. “Do you disagree with the bargain I made?”
“Of course not,” she scoffed. “I don’t hate humans, or enjoy seeing them treated poorly, but I still would have liked to speak about it with you first. To appear united.”
I hadn’t given her that chance.
“I’m sorry.”
“Let’s just look for books on Shadow Fae magic, alright?” She turned away.
Discussion closed. Stars, was this going to be how the other hard conversations we needed to have would go too? I hoped not. Thyra and I had been avoiding other serious matter of who—if we both lived through the war—would sit on the throne.
Before, I thought I’d be happy to give the throne up to Thyra, and a part of me still felt that way, but an equal part liked the idea of leading. Of getting to shape Winter’s Realm in meaningful ways.
I started by examining the closest titles. Many seemed to pertain to the rulers of the Shadow Fae long before Queen Sassa Falk lived. I moved on. And on. And on again. My search, and the silence between my sister and me, stretched for an hour before Thyra let out a loud hum.
“What is it?” We’d each taken one side and moved away from one another, so I found myself at the end of an aisle, and her on the other.
“Nothing about their magic. Rather, their enemies.”
“I kind of thought that was everyone else in Isila, considering they planned to start wars with each kingdom.” Winter’s Realm had just been the first and hardest hit, due to our proximity to the Shadow Fae Isles.
“Their enemies could live in multiple kingdoms,” she agreed. “It’s not a kingdom that poses the greatest risk to them, but a type of magic. Limiters—though I believe the dragons and wolvea call light wielders something else.”
“Light magic. That’s the antithesis to their shadows?”
“I’d never considered it before but it makes sense.”
It might also explain why I’d felt so off while we trained that morning. I would bet Sassa’s Blade that the shadows inside me were reacting to Sian’s magic, which he had been using in abundance during combat practice.
“When we were training, did you feel off, Thyra? Particularly when Sian used his light?”
My sister’s head tilted. “Actually yes. I put it down to all the rich food from breakfast, but you think it was the shadows inside us?”
“It might have been. Easy enough to test.”
“We’d have to let Sian or Baenna in on that secret. Will they tell their father, because I don’t think we’re ready for that yet.”
I swallowed. “We’re friends, so I’d like to think that they’d keep it a secret until we said otherwise, but maybe it is best to wait to test out our shadow’s aversion to light magic. At least until after Lord Balik makes his oath.”
Chapter 14
ISOLDE
Two bells later, our initial success in learning about the limiters was beginning to dim when footsteps approached from behind. Anna’s—I recognized the unique pattern of her foot fall mixed with the sound of her crutch hitting the floor. But someone else was alongside her too. I turned and smiled at my friends.
“We found something interesting.” Anna held up a book.
“Anna found it,” Duran corrected.
“About the magic?” Thyra scurried down from where she’d been scanning books and joined me.
