Queen Amari snaps her hand out and grabs Rhea’s wrist, bringing it up higher as she inspects her fingers—and the ring that sits atop it. “Such a pretty ring,” she says, angling Rhea’s hand towards the king. “How have you enjoyed its benefits, King Dolian?”
“It works exactly as you said it would, and I find it is quiteusefulin helping Lady Rhea adjust to her new life.” My blood runs cold at the insinuation—at how Rhea’s attention drops to the tops of her feet. I take a glance at the ring and find it’s matching one on my mother’s finger. The king wearing the third piece of jewelry I brought back from the Northern Island.
“I’m not in the business of lying. Something your kind cannot claim.”
To my utter surprise, the king heaves a long sigh before leveling his gaze at my mother. “I have earned your favor twice, Your Majesty, yet you still group me in with ancestors I have never met. I cannot control what the men of my lineage did centuries ago. I can only give you my word now. Show me what Rhea’s magic can do and how I can wield it, and I will give you what I promised.”
Queen Amari laughs, and my throat narrows at the sound—at the warning laced within. The guard next to Rhea slides his hand to the outside of his thigh where a dagger is strapped, only for Sade to snarl at him, her black talons growing from her fingers. “I need more than just a promise, Young King. I need proof that what happened in this spot two hundred years ago won’t be repeated.”
The king’s brows lift towards his hairline as he gives my mother an incredulous look. “And how in the world do you want me to do that?”
“Your guards,” she says, gesturing with her trident to the men waiting behind the Spell. “Your ancestors used their guards to act against my kind. Prove your loyalty by commanding Rhea to kill them.”
My heart leaps up to my throat, while Rhea, the king, and even theguardall wear varying shades of shock on their faces. “Surely, you don’t expect Rhea’s magic to do such a thing?”
“If you want to know the true power the girl holds, if you want to ensure that our tentative alliance remains intact without thethreatof interruption, you will do it.” I watch as my mother’s lips quirk into a smile she reserves for only the most heinous acts, my mind immediately tumbling into my past and making my entire body begin to tremble. When neither the king nor Rhea move, her eyes narrow and her voice deepens. “Do it.”
King Dolian looks to Rhea, something desperate flashing in his eyes as he meets hers. She shakes her head in anticipationof his command, but he doesn’t hesitate. “Kill them with your magic.” Each word is a struggle for the king to grit out, his hand shaking as it points to the men on the other side of the Spell.
Rhea’s eyes widen, the horror in them making the emotion spike in me before she turns to face the Spell, her movements stiff as her chest heaves with labored breaths. A whimper leaves her as her arms lock straight out in front of her. Electricity sits heavily in the air, so much so that I draw my gaze from her to the clouds momentarily, waiting for the lightning that I can feel building to strike. But it never comes.
“Pl—please,” she gasps, the tendons in her hands pulled taut from how widely her fingers are spread. Her begging is cut short by a harrowing scream. The sound alone would get me to stumble away from her, but then there is what comes out of Rhea’s hands. Glittering blackshadowsgather at her palms, growing in size until they wrap around her hands completely. Like arrows fired from their bows, the dark magic then shoots forward and pierces through the Spell with startling ease before unfurling over the stunned guards like an inky, fathomless fog. Darkness completely eclipses them, smothering their golden armor as a suffocating silence blankets the beach.
The first scream that breaks it draws my shoulders up towards my ears. Then another joins. And another. No one moves as magic continues to pour from Rhea, the opaqueness of her shadows clashing with the sparkling veil of the Spell. The point of contact between themflickers, and my mother takes a step forward as if she aims to touch it before Dyanna plants a hand on her arm. Thunder cracks from the darkened sky above, blending with the cries of anguish of those trapped within Rhea’s magic. She joins them as she screams, her spine uncomfortably straight while veins begin to bulge in her arms.
“Incredible,” my mother whispers, and when I look her way, it isn’t smug satisfaction on her face but pureawe.
As abruptly as it began, it ends. Rhea’s magic retreating back to her. The other side of the Spell is eerily silent, and when the last wisp of black disappears, Rhea collapses onto her knees.
“I killed them,” she cries into her hands, repeating the heartbroken admission over and over again. My eyes sting as I take in what remains on the other side. Heaps of golden armor lay not on top of sand but on mounds of black ash.
“Oh my gods,” I whisper, my fingers going to my lips as I wrap my other arm around my torso.
“Did she justincineratethem?” Dyanna asks on a breath.
King Dolian pulls Rhea up by her arm until she is standing next to him.
“King Dolian, you can see that I’ve helped you attain more than just a future bride,” my mother declares.
“I can,” he grits out, turning Rhea to face the queen. Rain begins to fall, the thick drops mixing with the tears that line Rhea’s cheeks. “I might ask that, in the future, you refrain from making your point at the expense of my men.”
My mother simply laughs, pointing her trident in his direction. “Youwillcontinue to meet me when I call you through the Mirror. Our exploration of Rhea’s magic has only just begun.” The king stares at my mother as his shoulders stiffen, but he only nods in agreement before he drags Rhea back through the Spell, the guard following behind. Her movements are sluggish, causing her to stumble, and my heart clenches as I watch her, guilt weaving through me like a poison.
“A wedding is a lovely time to announce the unity of our two realms, King Dolian,” the siren queen shouts after them, chuckling when he doesn’t bother turning around.
“What the hell wasthat?” Sade asks, her wet tangerine curls sticking to her torso.
“Mage magic. It has been a while since I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and it is much more powerful than I remember. But it is how we will get what we are owed.”
I force a deep inhale through my nose, my mind trying to reconcile what I just witnessed with what I know my mother wants. Movement nearer to me refocuses my gaze on the Spell where the black ash begins to pool in the sand as it mixes with the rain. Squinting my eyes, I notice the beach on the other side is easier to see, like the Spell has become more transparent in the spot where Rhea’s magic pierced it. Blinking quickly, I look away, only to find my mother staring at it as well—her head tilted in contemplation before a smile breaks over her face, wide enough to show her canines.
Chapter Fifteen: Aria
WereturntoLumentwo days later, swimming low to avoid the swells created by the storm that batters the sea.
The legionaries guarding the palace entrance bow before my mother as she leads our group past the sea glass door. “Dyanna, join me in the library. I want every piece of literature we can find about mage magic,” Queen Amari orders from ahead.
Dyanna nods from her place at my side. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
